Here We Go Again
by vbkm
Summary: The Witchblade puts Sara in a time loop -- Takes place in Season 1 between eps 8 & 9. The final chapters are up.
1. It Seemed Like Any Other Day...

Disclaimer: The usual. I do not claim to own Witchblade or it's characters (though I do have fun writing about them)  
  
  
  
Sara awoke to the sound of her answering machine going off, followed by a very agitated Jake leaving a message. "Pez. It's Jake. You ok? I've been sitting outside your apartment for the past 20 minutes. Figured I'd call you first. I'll give you another 10 minutes and then I'm coming in there with back-up." he finished with a note of sarcasm.  
  
Sara's head, and then the rest of her body, bolted up at the sound of his voice. She glanced quickly at the clock. Holy cow! How on earth did she sleep through her alarm? Quickly, she dressed and ran out the door to meet him. "Glad you finally decided to join the living, Pez," Jake joked. Sara just raised her eyebrows at him, warning him not to push it so early in the morning. Jake chuckled at her silent challenge and drove off to the station.  
  
As they were driving, Sara glanced briefly at Jake and asked, "How are those bruises coming along?" A few days ago, she found herself rescuing him from a near-death beating by Ian Nottingham. Jake absently ran a hand over the cut on his cheek as he answered, "Better." He looked over at her quickly and added, "By the way, thanks again for not saying anything to anyone about what really happened." Sara teased, "You mean that you got saved by a girl?"  
  
Jake looked in her direction at the implication. "Ha ha, funny, Pez. No, seriously, thanks for keeping quiet about Nottingham." He thought a moment before asking, "Why didn't you say anything to Dante about it anyway?"  
  
'Good question,' Sara thought. Why did she keep quiet about Nottingham? Regardless of his so-called reason, Nottingham still assaulted an officer, almost killed him. She had pondered, since that day, if she kept quiet to protect Jake or Nottingham. In any case, Sara was just glad she arrived before Nottingham could do some serious damage to Jake.  
  
Sara simply shrugged and replied, "Don't know. I guess cause he'd probably be released again by Dante or Orlinski, like earlier." Nottingham had turned himself in to be questioned on a double homicide a few days earlier. The shooter had never been identified. Orlinski had released him against Sara's better judgment because, according to Orlinski, she had no evidence. At least, that was the story he was sticking to. Sara had a sneaking suspicion that he and Dante were up to their eyeballs in something. The question was, what? And how in the world was Nottingham connected to them? Or were they connected to Irons, maybe? Or was Orlinski just being an ass to Sara? Sara had to shake her head to clear it. All this thinking before she even had her first cup of coffee was beginning to give her a headache.  
  
Despite herself, Sara thought for a moment on what had happened in her office before Nottingham had been questioned. He told her he loved her. He then added, "In unguarded moments." Still, he said he loved her. Who in the world would say they loved someone in unguarded moments? What the hell kind of crap was that? As far as Sara was concerned, you either loved someone or you didn't. "Freak." she mumbled under her breath.  
  
Jake heard her, barely. "Are you insulting me, now?" he asked. Sara looked up at him and gave him a tiny, apologetic smile. "No, Jake. I was just talking to myself." Jake teased, "Oh, so you're insulting yourself?" Sara teased back, "Don't go there, rookie. I can dish it out with the best of them." Jake raised up a hand in mock surrender, "Ok, ok, I give. You win."  
  
Once they got to the station and got settled in their office, Jake got a call. Sara could only hear Jake's end of the conversation, but it sounded like great news. "You're kidding… You're not kidding? Beautiful… You just made my day… Yeah, later."  
  
Once he hung up the phone, Jake flashed a Cheshire grin at Sara. "So, who was that, Jake?" she asked. Jake leaned over his desk as if for dramatic effect. "Get ready for this. That was Vicki down in Forensics. Remember that murder/suicide we've been banging our heads over for the last month?" Sara's eyes widened, "You mean the Lauderhill case? Did Vicki find out what we thought she would?" Jake nodded as he confirmed, "Yup, their son, Douglas, was the man behind it all. Wanna go get him now?" Sara eagerly answered, "Sure, let's go."  
  
As they pulled up to 722 Melbourne Drive, Sara couldn't help but notice how much the place reminded her of Irons'. Then again, 1111 Faust Street was only a few blocks away.  
  
Sara thought about the family that owned this mansion. Richard and Leslie Lauderhill weren't quite as wealthy as Kenneth Irons, but they were close. They had a "small" business involving computer hardware and software. They products were in every major department store and electronics chain across the States.  
  
Douglas, their son, the person Jake and Sara were here for, was their only child, and far from the model of a perfect son. He was rumored to always hang out with "the wrong crowd," carousing for women and getting high on whatever drug he could get his hands on. Douglas' parents weren't too happy with him throwing away the family money on that stuff, so they just recently, 2 weeks to be exact, cut off all access to the family money. Now, if he wanted to buy something, he had to prove that it wasn't drug or woman related. Sara thought how, at 21, she had been busy holding down a minimum wage job and on her way to becoming a cop, unlike Douglas.  
  
Jake rang the doorbell and the pair patiently waited. A young man slowly opened the door. He looked rather nervous. He should be, thought Sara, he's about to be arrested for murdering his own parents.  
  
Knowing Douglas would not go easily, Jake asked, "Mr. Lauderhill? Detective McCarty, NYPD. We had a couple more questions for you." Visibly relieved, Douglas asked, "Sure. What can I do for you?"  
  
Sara looked to Jake as if to say, "What are you doing? Just tell him already." She then looked to Douglas and simply replied, "We need you to come down to the station with us." Douglas stiffened and answered, "OK, um, sure. Let me just…" and abruptly tried to slam the door shut on the officers. Jake and Sara both raised a hand to stop the door and then bolted into the mansion after their perp.  
  
Douglas knew the entire mansion like the back of his hand. He weaved in and out of rooms until he found himself in the area of the Olympic-sized swimming pool. He quickly went for the gate, but found it locked. His parents had always kept it locked for security reasons and since their deaths, he still could not find where his father had hidden the key. Normally, it didn't matter because Douglas would let everyone in through the mansion. Today, he truly wished otherwise.  
  
He quickly looked around for alternate options. He couldn't climb over the fence; it was 10 feet high and electrically charged. He briefly turned around to look behind him; he couldn't go back into the mansion, either. The officers were catching up to him. He swiftly made his way around the edge of the pool to increase the distance between his pursuers and to give him a chance to think.  
  
Jake and Sara approached the swimming pool. Douglas was on the other side of it and had nowhere else to go. "We've got him!" Jake gloated. Sara cautioned him, "Be careful, Jake. You know what they say about an animal trapped in a corner." Jake nodded in comprehension.  
  
They slowly rounded either side of the pool towards Douglas. He continued to look between the two as they neared him. Sara approached Douglas first. "Now, Douglas, there's no need for this. You don't want to get yourself in any more trouble, do you?"  
  
Lauderhill's answer was the swing of a lawn chair in Sara's direction. While Douglas was distracted, Jake had approached him from behind and tackled him to the ground. "Douglas Lauderhill, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you…"  
  
**********************  
  
Later that afternoon, on the way back from lunch, the Witchblade started to swirl and glow. Sara received an image of an apartment building engulfed in flames.  
  
As the vision left her, Sara glanced over to Jake. Lucky for her, Jake hadn't noticed anything. She asked him, "Hey, Jake. Can you hang a left at this next light?" Jake looked over at her and replied, "Yeah, sure, I guess. Why the detour?" Sara simply answered, "Just something I want to check quick. We can just drive by."  
  
As they approached the building from Sara's vision, her eyes went wide in surprise and Jake declared, "Oh, my God!"  
  
"Quick, pull over, Jake."  
  
"But…"  
  
"Don't argue with me on this, rookie. There may still be people inside and the fire department isn't here yet."  
  
Before the car could come to a full stop, Sara leapt out and assessed the situation. "Call it in, Jake!" she instructed.  
  
"My baby's still in there!" a young woman was yelling. Sara approached her and quickly asked, "What floor?" The woman was so hysterical that she simply blurted, "Fifth. No, Sixth."  
  
Before Sara realized what she was doing, she bolted into the burning building and ran up the steps to the sixth floor. There was more smoke than she anticipated. Still, she was already there and could hear the baby crying hysterically.  
  
Soon, the smoke was too much for Sara. The closer she got to the source of the crying, the more she found herself coughing. Before she knew it, she was on the floor choking on the smoke. She couldn't breathe. She was quickly losing consciousness. The last thought running through her mind was, "It can't end this way. It can't end this way…" 


	2. Deja Vu?

Sara awoke to the sound of her answering machine going off, followed by a very agitated Jake leaving a message. "Pez. It's Jake. You ok? I've been sitting outside your apartment for the past 20 minutes. Figured I'd call you first. I'll give you another 10 minutes and then I'm coming in there with back-up." he finished with a note of sarcasm.  
  
Sara's head bolted up to the message being recorded. Didn't Jake say that same thing yesterday? Sara quickly got up and dressed. What a weird dream she had last night; even weirder than the usual.  
  
"Glad you finally decided to join the living, Pez," Jake joked as Sara got into the car. Sara froze for a moment. She could have sworn he said that the other day, too.  
  
As they were driving to the station, Sara asked Jake, "You ever get a feeling of déjà vu?" Jake looked at Sara and asked, "What, you mean like you did or said something before?" Sara nodded, "Yeah, exactly." Jake shrugged and asked, rhetorically, "Who doesn't feel like that once in a while?" Sara shrugged in return, "I guess you're right."  
  
Later, at the station, Jake got a phone call. As soon as he hung up, Sara remarked, "Douglas Lauderhill is our man, isn't he?" Jake looked at her in surprise, "Yeah. How'd you know?" Sara, stunned herself, shrugged and presumed, "Just a hunch. We've been waiting for Vicki to confirm our suspicions on that case for weeks now. It was just a matter of time before she found something solid, right? Come on, let's go pick him up now."  
  
*********************  
  
Ian turned to look at the annoying sound that had just disturbed the wolfhounds as he them for their morning walk. He slowly shook his head in disgust. It was the same purple hot rod that raced away from that same light yesterday. And the same Korn song was blasting out of its speakers. And the same young man was on the corner, shaking his fist and yelling the same obscenity at the car speeding away. Ian shook his head and muttered to himself, "Even New York has its routines."  
  
*******************  
  
As Douglas tried to shut the door on Jake and Sara and escape through the maze of rooms at his late parents' mansion, Sara heard herself warn Jake, "He's heading for the pool!" 'How did I know that?' she wondered.  
  
Jake reacted to the warning and headed straight for the entrance to the pool, just reaching it a second after Douglas. Jake immediately tackled Douglas, causing the pair to fall into the deep end of the pool. Jake surfaced right away, but Douglas did not. With a sigh of impatience, Jake dove back under to retrieve him. As they climbed out of the pool, Jake read a coughing Douglas his rights.  
  
Later, on a hunch, Sara declined Jake's offer of lunch and, instead, paid Gabriel a visit. "Have you found anything about this thing," she pointed to the Witchblade for emphasis, "somehow manipulating time or something?" she asked as soon as he answered the door. "And hello to you, too, Chief," Gabriel replied, in jest.  
  
"Sorry, Gabe. It's just that I had the weirdest dream last night. And so far, just about all of it has happened." Gabriel shook his head, "Sorry, Chief, haven't found out anything like that, yet."  
  
Sara frowned, rather disappointed. Gabriel remembered something Sara had told him a few days earlier. He asked, "Didn't you say that Elizabeth Bronte mentioned time manipulation being a gift of the Witchblade?" He was referring to when Sara had undergone the Periculum; a test by the Witchblade to discover if she was indeed a true wielder. Remembering the test she had endured, Sara replied, "Yeah, you've got a point there. But this isn't time slipping from me for a few seconds. This feels more like the entire day is repeating itself. I was curious if you found out anything like that?"  
  
Gabriel shook his head again. "Like I said before, nothing like that yet. If you want, I can do some more digging and see if I come up with anything. Sound good?" Sara nodded her answer, "Yeah. Thanks, Gabriel. I've got to get back to the station. I'll catch up with you later, OK?"  
  
"Sure. Later, Chief."  
  
************************  
  
As Ian entered Kenneth Irons' office, a gentleman walked out with a nod hello. Once the door slid closed, Ian asked his master, "Sir, wasn't that…" Irons nodded and casually replied, "Yes, it was. The man rumored to be the next Donald Trump." Ian paused for a moment before asking, "And the two of you are meeting for lunch tomorrow to further discuss a merger, correct?" Slightly surprised, Irons answered, "Correct. I am impressed, Ian. I knew I trained you well. But I did not ever think you were that good." 'I'm not,' Ian thought silently. 'It's just that I could have sworn your lunch meeting was today instead. What is going on?'  
  
************************  
  
On the way back to the station, Sara got a vision of an apartment building engulfed in flames. She also got another feeling of déjà vu, as if the Witchblade had shown her this vision before. She quickly made her way over to investigate… 


	3. What's Really Going On?

Sara awoke to the sound of her answering machine going off, followed by a very agitated Jake leaving a message. "Pez. It's Jake. You ok? I've been sitting outside your apartment for the past 20 minutes. Figured I'd call you first. I'll give you another 10 minutes and then I'm coming in there with back-up." he finished with a note of sarcasm.  
  
Just as Sara's head lifted in shock at the sound of the message, a third time, Danny blinked in. "Well, it's about time you showed up and explained what's up with the 'Groundhog Day a la New York,' partner. It has something to do with that apartment building, doesn't it?"  
  
Danny nodded and clarified, "Actually, it has to do with the baby you've been trying to go in and rescue. She's not suppose to die." He quickly turned around to give her a little privacy to change.  
  
As Sara was pulling on her jeans, she asked, "And just how am I suppose to change that? By the time I get there, the place is already a bonfire."  
  
Danny threw over his shoulder, "You don't have to do it alone. You have an ally in this." Sara pulled on the shirt she had withdrawn out of her dresser, asking, "And just who might that be?" As the shirt cleared her head, she noticed Danny had conveniently blinked out. She muttered to the air, "Gee, thanks for the cryptic clue, partner."  
  
Later, at the station, Sara's cell phone rang. "Pezzini."  
  
"Have you been experiencing déjà vu lately?" Ian got right to the point. Good thing Jake wasn't at his desk.  
  
"Care to elaborate?"  
  
"I believe this is something we should be discussing in person."  
  
"Fine. Where and when?"  
  
"The park. Next to the fountain. Ten minutes?"  
  
"Meet you there in five."  
  
As she put her cell phone away, Jake walked back into the office. "Where's the emergency, Pez?" Sara fibbed as she threw on her jacket, "I have a quick errand to run. I should be back in half an hour, tops. Then we can go get Lauderhill."  
  
Sara realized her slip up too late. Jake hadn't received his call from Vicki yet. "What makes you think we can pick him up? We don't have anything concrete on him yet."  
  
She covered her slip, "I just have a feeling that Vicki's gonna have some good news for us today. I'll be back."  
  
Once she left, Dante strolled into the office, looking in the direction Sara had just gone. "There she goes again," Dante commented, smugly. "What do you mean?" Jake looked up from his paperwork and asked. Dante explained, as he made himself comfortable at her desk, "I mean, she gets a personal call and then just leaves without explaining it to you. What kind of a partner is that?"  
  
Jake reasoned, "Give her a break, captain. She and Danny were in the academy together and were made partners right away. They learned from each other over the years. She's not use to having to show a new partner the ropes."  
  
Dante stood back up. He grabbed a doughnut from a box in between the desks. "Fine, McCarty. You see things your way. I see them mine." He proceeded to take a bite of the pilfered pastry as he went back to his own office.  
  
********************  
  
As Sara headed over to the park, her head started swimming again with all the questions part of her yearned to ask Ian. What did he mean by 'flesh and blood?' Why did he say he loved her in unguarded moments and that they could be inseparable? Why did he feel Jake had betrayed her? Why did he bother to turn himself in for the murders of Parsegian and Wolfe if he wasn't guilty?  
  
When she finally arrived at the fountain, she didn't have a chance to ask. Ian got right to the point again. "The Witchblade has decided that something about today is not right."  
  
"And what makes you so sure about that?" Sara wasn't about to agree with Ian so quickly.  
  
"The same events have transpired three consecutive days in a row. Even for New York, that is too coincidental."  
  
Sara, rather sarcastically, declared, "There are no coincidences." Ian, his gaze still upon the ground, smirked at something he apparently found humorous. He quickly replied, "I believe Ms. Boucher added, '…when it comes to the Witchblade.' Did she not?" Sara stood there stunned for a brief minute. How in the world did Nottingham know what that she had tried, rather fruitlessly, to find out what Dominique knew about the Witchblade? She almost asked the question out loud, but immediately changed her mind. She had a feeling she wouldn't get a straight answer out of Nottingham. She rarely ever did.  
  
Instead, she decided to let him know what Danny had told her. This, apparently, was to be her ally in this wacky adventure. "There's an apartment building, over on Bronx Street, that is gonna be one big bonfire in a little while. There is also a baby girl inside that building that is suppose to live past this afternoon."  
  
Ian finished her thought, "So the Witchblade is causing this day to repeat itself until that infant is no longer threatened. We should go to that building now and determine if the fire has started yet."  
  
"Hold on a minute," Sara protested. "We can't just go over there and tell anyone we just know the building is on fire because it's happened already. Besides," she continued, "What's with this 'we' stuff? Who said you were going anywhere with me?"  
  
"It is apparent that you are in need of my assistance on this matter."  
  
Sara rolled her eyes at the freak. "Oh, you would just love that, wouldn't you? Any reason to get close to me, am I right?" They both knew exactly what she was implying.  
  
Ian simply replied, "Very well, then. Should you decide that you do need my help, you know where I'll be." With that, he turned to leave the fountain. He quickly threw over his shoulder, "After all, the day can only repeat itself so many times before you realize that you will need my help, despite yourself."  
  
Standing next to the fountain, alone, with a flustered look on her face, Sara shook her head in disbelief, muttered to herself, "What a freak," as if to confirm her premature assessment of him, and left the park to return to the station. She glanced at her watch. It was already 11:11 am. Jake would have gotten that call from Vicki by now and would be waiting for Sara so they could go pick up Lauderhill. 


	4. Today I'm Sleeping In

"Pez. It's Jake. You ok? I've been sitting outside your apartment for the past 20 minutes. Figured I'd call you first. I'll give you another 10…" The message was quickly cut short due to the fact that the answering machine had just been sliced in half by the Witchblade, courtesy of Sara. She retracted the Blade and buried her head back under the covers.  
  
Danny blinked in. "Sara! What on earth did you do that for?" he practically scolded. Sara pulled her head back out from under the covers and gave him one of her famous, 'I am not in the mood for this' looks.  
  
As if he needed further explanation, Sara justified, "Look, I've have been repeating the same day for…" She paused in order to try to remember how many times she had already endured the excuse-for-a-broken-record day. Not being able to, she simply finished, "…well, I lost count, now, but I seriously need a rest from this 'time loop' or whatever the hell you wanna call it and I am getting sick of waking up to that same message every time. If I hear it anymore, it's gonna haunt me for, gee, I don't know, the rest of my natural friggin' life! Besides, the machine will be back in one piece when this day repeats itself again. Now go away and let me sleep in for once."  
  
"But, Sara…" Danny started. Sara ignored him and buried her head under the covers again. He tried again, "Sara you really…"  
  
"Go away, Danny!" was the muffled response.  
  
Realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere with her, Danny simply shook his head at her stubbornness and blinked out. 


	5. Thoughts and Concenquences

On the way into the station with Jake, Sara contemplated the thought of working together with that freak of Kenneth Irons' in figuring out how to end this fiasco the Witchblade had caused. He was the only other one that could consciously remember what was happening each time this day ran its course. She had seriously lost count of how many times she went through the same events of the day. She was honestly a little surprised that Nottingham hadn't tried to get in touch with her again to see if she wanted his help after all.  
  
She tried again, in her mind, to figure out when the fire probably first started in the building. Every time she did get a chance to swing by, the building was already a blazing inferno. On an impulse, she turned to Jake and said, "Hey, do me a favor? Take a detour down Bronx. There's something I wanna check out." Jake looked over to her and fruitlessly probed, "What? All that's down that street are apartment buildings." Sara shot him a warning look and insisted, "Just, do it. Will ya, rookie?"  
  
As they turned down Bronx Street, Sara quickly glanced over at the building that was responsible for her reoccurring problem. She sighed heavily, it appeared that there was nothing catastrophic surrounding the building, yet.  
  
****************  
  
Thoughts of the current situation unconsciously ran through Ian's head as he took the wolfhounds for their walk. He readily admitted to himself that he and Lady Sara obviously needed to work together to save the infant in the soon-to-be-burning building. Why else would the Witchblade allow them to both know what was truly taking place? But Sara was so stubborn she had not yet contacted him for his assistance. He had even decided that he would prove to himself that they needed each other by making numerous attempts at saving the baby himself. Of course, he failed each time, regardless of how or when he made his attempted rescue.  
  
He found his thoughts briefly wander to when they took care of the Irish that had kidnapped her lover, Conchobar. He had had an opportunity to take care of them sooner, but did not. He pondered now if things would have turned out differently. Would Conchobar be alive now? Would Sara have appreciated Ian's help? Or would she have been displeased that she could not save her Irish lover herself? Would she have still gone through the Periculum when she did? Would he have still had the opportunity to tell her how he truly felt about her?  
  
The last question caused his thoughts to wander to the day that he had turned himself in for the hit on Parsegian and Wolfe. He had succeeded in getting McCarty out of the interrogation room and being alone with Sara. He tried, through various examples, to help Sara to understand her destiny. She couldn't seem to. Or perhaps, he thought, she hadn't chosen to understand yet. Perhaps all he had told her had been too much too soon for her to absorb. So, she had reacted the only way that she knew; treat him as a common criminal.  
  
Ian was slightly disappointed in Sara's choice of McCarty over him at the stadium the day after. Ian had even warned her that her 'partner' had betrayed her. Working for Irons turned out to have its advantages at times. He discovered that Dante had recruited the 'rookie' into the White Bulls. It would only be a matter of time before McCarty truly did betray her to Dante and the White Bulls. Even through Irons' connections, he didn't know 100% what the real reason was behind McCarty transferring from California, but he did not believe the story McCarty was telling. There was something else about the man, Ian was sure of it.  
  
********************  
  
Lauderhill ran for the pool, away from the pair of officers there to arrest him for the murder of his parents. Just as he neared the back patio, he felt one of the officers tackle him from behind. The force drove them into the pool.  
  
******************  
  
Sara reached the back patio just as Jake fished Lauderhill out of the pool. She was really growing tired of this scenario yet glad she knew how it would turn out. She didn't have the energy "today" to chase after the perp. The scene in front of her was rather humorous, though. Every time she saw poor Jake soaked to the bone, hauling young Lauderhill out with him, she couldn't help but chuckle.  
  
Just as every time she chuckled, Jake gave her a look and said, "Amused are you?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Jake. I just couldn't help myself." She reasoned, "Try telling me you wouldn't react the same way if the roles were reversed."  
  
"Ok, fine, you've got me there. I'll forgive you this time, Pez."  
  
By then, Jake and Lauderhill were both out of the pool; Lauderhill firmly planted faced down on the patio. Jake reached around to get his handcuffs to place on Lauderhill, but they weren't there. He looked over to the pool and threw his head back with an, "Oh, jeez." His cuffs had fallen out of his back pocket and were now lying on the bottom of the pool.  
  
Still chuckling, Sara asked, "Problem, rookie?" He turned towards her and meekly replied, "Uh, yeah. I sorta need to borrow your cuffs."  
  
Rolling her eyes at him, Sara reached around and dug out her set of cuffs to toss to Jake. With neither one looking directly at Lauderhill, he took a chance and quickly got up to attempt another escape, right towards the electrified fence.  
  
The sound of footsteps alerted the officers of the perp's actions. Jake, still being closest, ran after him. Jake reached Lauderhill just as he made a feeble effort to grab the fence in order to try to climb over it, temporarily forgetting there were over 500 volts of electricity running through it.  
  
Sara stood in horror as she could do nothing but watch the pair twitch in pain as their bodies, still wet from being in the pool, acted as the perfect set of conduits for the electricity in the fence. Coming to her senses, Sara pulled out her cell phone and called for an ambulance. 


	6. Considering the Alternative...

While Jake was busy getting a poor excuse for a cup of coffee, Sara swallowed her pride and dialed Ian's cell phone number.  
  
"So you finally realized you need my assistance after all." It was more a statement than a question.   
  
"Get a sudden case of ESP?"  
  
"No, I just was not expecting a call from anyone else. The events of this day have been rather unchanged, have they not?"  
  
Not seeing a reason to mention the fact that Jake and Lauderhill were barbecued 'recently', Sara merely admitted, "Good point. OK, you were right. I guess we're better off saving that baby if we work together."   
  
"I am pleased that you have finally come to your senses."  
  
"Funny, Nottingham. What, if anything, do you suggest we do now?"  
  
"I suggest, first of all, that if we are going to work together in order to rescue that infant girl, that you, at least temporarily, put aside your dislike for me and concentrate on our next course of action."  
  
"Which is?"  
  
"I am not going to do the thinking for both of us. When you discover what should be done next, you know where I will be."   
  
Before Sara could protest, Ian hung up.  
  
*********************  
  
As Sara was bringing some completed files to their respective cabinets, Danny popped in. Wishing, not for the first time, that she could reach out and physically ring her dead partner's neck, Sara settled for giving him one of her famous dirty looks.  
  
Feigning surprise, Danny asked, "What?"  
  
Rolling her eyes upward, Sara snapped, "Oh don't think I don't know you think this is all amusing." She quickly shoved the last drawer shut, hoping to mask the fact that she was talking to a dead guy, and started to walk back to her office.  
  
Danny was right beside her. "Pez, it doesn't matter whether anyone finds this amusing or not, it's about you realizing what the Witchblade is trying to show you."  
  
Sara stopped walking and turned to face him. She asked, irritated, "And just what is it trying to show me? Danny, I've been repeating the same friggin' day God only knows how many times because this thing," she pointed, discreetly yet angrily, to the blade on her wrist, "wants to give me some kinda lesson in…I don't even know what. Why can't it just show me what causes that building to…"  
  
"The Witchblade has its reasons, Pez"  
  
"Yeah, and I'm sure it has its reasons for Nottingham being the only other living person to know what's really going on, too. By the way, I am not amused with that little twisted bit of humor."   
  
"All will be revealed in its own time, Pez."  
  
"And I'm starting to get a little tired of all these…cryptic little messages I've been getting."  
  
Danny started to say something but was immediately cut off by Sara. "And don't try telling me again that the Witchblade has its reasons." She let out a frustrated sigh. "I just wanna know how in the world Nottingham and I are suppose to save that baby girl."  
  
"Not that I'm telling you how to do your job but, maybe you should start by getting together with the guy and finding out what you have each tried to do individually that hasn't worked?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess that would be the best place to start."  
  
"Talking to yourself again, Petzini?"  
  
Wonderful, Sara thought. The beloved captain caught her talking to her dead, invisible to everyone not wearing the Witchblade, partner again.  
  
"Ah, just brainstorming aloud, sir. It sometimes helps when I'm stuck on a case," she tried to explain.   
  
"Gee, I thought that was one of the reasons for having a partner? Not that you would know considering you only spend about a fraction of your time with McCarty. You know, Petzini, people are starting to talk. And it's not all good."   
  
"Sorry, sir. I had no idea…"  
  
"Of course you had no idea. That's why I'm the captain. Now, get back to your office and do your 'brainstorming' in the privacy of your own office with your partner." 


	7. An Alliance and Plan Are Made

As Sara was getting dressed to meet Jake, she quickly dialed Ian's cell phone.  
  
"You have decided what our next course of action should be." This guy was really getting on Sara's nerves. If it weren't for the fact that she was getting really tired of the whole thing, she wouldn't have even called the freak.  
  
"Don't you ever answer your phone with a, 'Hello,' Nottingham?"  
  
Sara heard a slight chuckle on the other end. 'Some answer,' she thought.  
  
Being pressed for time, Sara briefly laid out her plan, "I think we should start out by getting together and finding out what we've tried to do on our own and take it from there. When's good for you?"  
  
"As soon as I return the dogs to the house."  
  
"Which will be?"  
  
"20 minutes."  
  
"Where's your lord and master at?"  
  
Ian chose to ignore to snide remark and simply replied, "He has already departed for Vorschlag Industries. We would have no distractions."  
  
"Fine. I'll meet you at the mansion in an hour."  
  
"What of your partner?"  
  
"Don't worry about him. I'll be there in an hour. Trust me."  
  
"I shall be waiting."  
  
*****************  
  
"Nottingham, I already tried that. It obviously didn't work."  
  
Sara and Ian had spent the last hour arguing over what to do next in order to prevent the apartment building from catching on fire. Ian would throw out an idea and Sara would immediately dismiss it for one reason or another. Ian was quickly losing his patience with the wielder, and that didn't happen often.   
  
"I have yet to hear a brilliant idea from you, Sara."  
  
"Well, that's because I've already tried all the 'brilliant' ideas in my head and they all failed. Honestly, I feel like my brain has turned to Swiss cheese from this crap going on for so long."  
  
"And whose fault is that? I offered my assistance from the beginning but you refused it, remember?"  
  
Shooting a 'smart-ass' look in Ian's direction, Sara dryly stated, "Don't remind me."  
  
"I'm sure your 'Swiss cheese' brain is still able to produce something remotely close to an idea."   
  
Sara threw out, "Like what, we stake out the building in shifts or something?"  
  
"That is not a bad idea."  
  
"Meaning?"  
  
"Meaning, we have both passed the apartment building at various times of the day, only to see either nothing suspicious or the building already on fire. Something happens to cause that fire, we just need to discover who or what it is and when, specifically, it takes place."  
  
"You mean like that fact that I've been past that place at 9 and 11am and it's been fine but when I've gone past anytime after 2pm it's too late?"  
  
"Precisely."  
  
"OK, then. When have you gone past it?"  
  
"At various times but the last time I passed it around 12:45pm and saw someone run, rather hastily, from the building-"  
  
"As if they didn't want to be around when the fire got worse." Sara finished Ian's thought. "OK, so we have to go check out that place sometime between 12 and 1pm then. Sounds like that's when the fire starts." She glanced at her watch, and frowned. "It's already 11:00am and I have to get back to the station to pick up a perp with Jake. Guess we'll have to meet at the building tomorrow at noon and check it out." 


	8. Problem Solved?

Sara had cleared her half of the basement and the first 3 floors and was making her way onto the fourth floor. Not really knowing which apartments were occupied and which ones were not made it harder to determine if something suspicious was going on behind a closed door. Then again, that was why she went into homicide; her dad always told her she was good at solving problems and puzzles.  
  
As she approached the end of the hall, she heard voices. She quietly crept over to a door that was slightly ajar. The voices were coming from inside the apartment.  
  
"Give it here, man."  
  
"Cut it out. You're gonna make me drop it."  
  
"Then let me have a hit. You've already smoked half of it."  
  
Wonderful, Sara thought. She was looking for an arsonist and she stumbled upon a couple of kids sneaking a joint. As she was getting ready to move on, the Witchblade hissed on her wrist. She suddenly got a vision of the boys fighting over the joint.  
  
In their struggle, the opened containers of beer spill over. The joint is accidentally dropped right into the puddle of alcohol, immediately starting a blaze. In a panic, the boys run out the door, leaving the fire to spread.  
  
************************  
  
Ian cautiously went over every inch of the portion of the basement that he agreed to search. He, too, wanted this day to finally come to an end. The only way to do that was to find the person responsible for setting the building on fire. He was not about to take the chance of passing over the person and having to repeat the day yet again.  
  
Halfway into the basement, Ian saw movement. He quietly crept closer so as not to scare away whoever it was.  
  
As he neared closer, Ian heard the figure angrily mumble to himself as he tried to get his lighter to work.  
  
"I'm not man enough, am I? That punk kid is better in bed than I am? I could never make you happy? We'll see about that, sweetheart."  
  
**************************  
  
Once the vision left her, Sara processed what had been happening on the other side of the door all this time. She didn't need to arrest the kids, but she was going to have to stop them from causing their accidental fire starting.  
  
Pulling out her badge, Sara knocked on the door and walked in. She noticed what appeared to be fresh, tiny scratches on the old doorknob.  
  
Startled, the teens looked up to see Sara walk in. Although they tried to hide it by whispering, Sara could tell they both had different ideas on how to handle the intrusion.  
  
"Busted, Johnny! Let's g--"  
  
"Quiet, Hank. Let me handle this."  
  
Johnny stood up and slowly headed over to Sara. Now on his feet, Sara could tell he was tall for his age. At least 6 feet, if not taller. He was definitely taller than Sara that was for sure. He had super-short, brown hair, the start of a goatee, and tattoos covering both his arms. Aside from the expected jeans and sneakers of a teenager, he sported a black T-shirt advertising some band called Godsmack.  
  
His friend, Hank, was still sitting on the floor. He was also wearing jeans and sneakers, but his shirt displayed another band. This one was called Disturbed. 'Where do these bands come up with their names, anyway?' Sara thought to herself. Sara guessed, based on when the pair was sitting together on the floor, that Hank, when standing, was slightly shorted than his friend. He had almost jet-black hair pulled back in a ponytail and a row of small hoops up the side of his left ear lobe.  
  
Sara's attention was diverted back to Johnny when he asked, "What can I help you with, sweets?"  
  
Who did he think he was kidding? Sara asked him, although she knew the answer by the looks of the empty apartment, "Do you, ah, live here, sir?"  
  
"Ah, yeah, I do. Just haven't gotten my stuff moved in yet."  
  
"Can I see some ID then?" Sara asked as she flashed her badge to him.  
  
Johnny's demeanor quickly grew somber, yet he was not about to admit the entire truth. "I, ah, lost it."  
  
This guy was a real piece of work, Sara thought. "You lost it," she repeated.  
  
"Yeah. Got in a little scuffle with the old lady the other day and she tossed it out the car window."  
  
Nodding to the other guy, Sara asked, "What about your friend? Did his 'old lady' lose his on him, too?"  
  
Turning around briefly to look at Hank, Johnny turned back to Sara and answered, "Nah. He just hasn't gotten a license yet. Bit of a procrastinator and all."  
  
"Uh huh. I see. So, let me get this straight. You live here, but don't have your stuff here yet, and your girlfriend lost your driver's license on you?"  
  
"Yup, that about covers it."  
  
"Do you at least have the key to 'your' apartment here? I'm sure if you do live here you'd have the key with you in order to get in." Sara almost couldn't wait to hear the explanation Johnny would give her about that.  
  
"Yeah, sure, the key to the place…" Johnny searched his pockets for the supposed key. He turned to Hank and asked, "What'd you do with the key, man?"  
  
Hank, not as good a liar as his friend, replied, "Me, I thought you had it?"  
  
Getting fed up with the horse and pony show in front of her, Sara told the pair, "Look, you know and I know that you really don't live here, just like you and I both know that is not a cigarette the two of you are sharing. Now, you can either get outta here and not let me see your faces around here again, or, you can come down with me to the station for possession."  
  
Realizing they were being given a chance to get away, Hank stood up, walked over to Johnny, and said close to his ear, "I think we should just get outta here while she's lettin' us, man."  
  
Nodding his agreement, Johnny looked to Sara and said, "Thank you, officer. Don't worry, you won't see us in this building again."  
  
Once they were gone, Sara made her way back to Nottingham to let him know she found the cause and took care of it.  
  
***************************  
  
Ian had to act fast. It would not be long before the man in front of him succeeded in getting his lighter to work.  
  
Ian also knew this was not as most of the assignments Mr. Irons sent him on. Sara would not hesitate to place him under arrest if he took, what she would call, drastic measures.  
  
Sara came up behind Nottingham and looked over in the direction of his gaze. When she realized what Nottingham was starting at, she leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Well? What are you waiting for, Nottingham? An engraved invitation?" In all the time she had known the freak, he usually took care of a problem right away. Had he been hiding out of sight of the suspect this entire time?  
  
In a flash, Ian turned around, slightly startled at the sudden noise in his ear. Once he realized it was only Sara, he quietly explained, "I was merely devising my strategy with you in mind. It would be difficult to explain to your fellow officers how you were able to use excessive force on a man his size."  
  
Sara briefly mulled over his reply before whispering back, "OK, you gotta point there. But I'm here now so why don't I just go over there and arrest him and you can be my back-up plan?"  
  
Sara slowly walked over to the man crouched before a pile of newspapers in various crumpled forms. He was trying to light one in his hand, but, fortunately for Sara and Nottingham, his lighter was giving him problems.  
  
Standing directly behind the would-be arsonist, Sara cleared her throat and informed him, "Excuse me, sir, if you're trying to do what I think you're trying to do then…you're under arrest."  
  
It was then that the man's lighter decided to work, setting fire to the crumpled newspaper in his hand. Startled by Sara's intrusion, the man did not release it soon enough. His shirtsleeve quickly caught on fire. Screaming in pain, the man dropped the burning paper, right onto the pile at his feet. Within seconds, a small blaze formed.  
  
Sara acted on reflex. Reaching a hand in Nottingham's direction, she ordered, "Quick, Nottingham, your coat!"  
  
Nottingham immediately understood and pulled off his overcoat. He handed it to Sara as he made his way to the small fire on the floor and stomped it out with his boots. Sara wrapped Nottingham's overcoat around the victim and extinguished the flames on his arm.  
  
Once the fires were put out, the wanna-be arsonist angrily glared up at Sara, "You bitch! You nearly killed me!" Stunned for a moment at the accusation, Sara mentally recovered and retorted, "Are you kidding? I just saved your lousy ass, pal."  
  
Still not happy with the situation, the man opened his mouth to further insult Sara. Not in the mood to hear anymore, Sara declared, "Oh, I don't have time for this crap," leaned over, and punched him hard enough to knock him unconscious.  
  
"I am proud of the both of you."  
  
Sara and Nottingham both looked to see where the voice came from. They instantly found it. A man with scraggly blond hair and a few wrinkles stood before them. 


	9. Some Explaination

"Oh, no. Not another one." Sara declared. How many people were trying to set the apartment building ablaze, anyway?  
  
As she thought that, Sara took a better look at the man standing before her. He was holding an infant in his arms. She looked back up at the man and found herself asking, "Is that the baby girl we've been trying to save all this time?" The blond nodded his confirmation.  
  
Before she realized it, she had the baby girl in her arms. She gazed down at the infant with tender, almost motherly, affection.  
  
"Hey, there, little one. What's so special about you that's made Nottingham and me go through this day for so long?"  
  
"That, my dear, is your daughter."  
  
Sara immediately raised her head at the blond, stunned by his allegation. "What do you mean she's my daughter?"  
  
"Not only yours, dear child. Her father is standing lovingly beside you."  
  
Sara shook her head in disbelief. She had to be dreaming or something. She instantly returned the baby to the blond, insisting, "There's some sort of mistake. You've got the wrong person." The blond shook his head and replied, "I assure you, my dear, there is no mistake. You and Sir Nottingham are the proud parents of this little girl. Rather, you will be in a few years."  
  
Appalled, Sara turned to Notthingham for a moment and remarked, "I thought you and your master were bad." She turned back to the blond and motioned her head in his direction for emphasis as she continued, "This guy takes the cake."  
  
The blond roared, "Impetuous child. Have you learned nothing from this? The two of you were meant to be together, work together. Did the battle with the Irish not prove that to you?"  
  
Sara rolled her eyes. She was mentally drained from repeating the same day for so long and mentally relieved that tomorrow would actually be tomorrow.  
  
"Oh, please. Spare me. Honestly, right now, I am fed up with all these hidden meanings and what my destiny is."  
  
Sara abruptly headed for the stairs. She paused before heading up to look back at Nottingham, still staring at the baby in the nut's arms.  
  
"Come one, Nottingham. The least you can do is carry my suspect topside for me."  
  
Once the trio reached Sara's car, Ian put the suspect in the back seat and closed the car door. He then looked to Sara and commented, "Apparently our separate destinies are now one." Sara snapped, "Don't tell me you honestly believe that weirdo was telling us the truth?"  
  
"Did you not listen to what he said?"  
  
"I don't care what he said!"  
  
"But what just happened…"  
  
"Nothing happened!"  
  
"But then how do you explain how our daughter…"  
  
"There is no our daughter because nothing is ever going to happen to make there be an our daughter. Don't you get it, Nottingham? To me, you are nothing but a freak that works for a one-track minded billionaire. Nothing else."  
  
"But…"  
  
"No buts. End of discussion. This was all…just some sort of strange dream. Now, I'm going to go back to my somewhat normal life, starting with calling for a squad car to haul this guy in."  
  
As she reached into the car for the CB, Ian further digested all that had just transpired. Perhaps he still had a chance. He quickly left for the mansion. He knew exactly where Mr. Irons had hidden the package that he had taken from Sara all those months ago. Maybe returning it to her now would show her that she could place her trust in him. 


	10. The (Truly) Next Day...

Sara awoke to the sound of her answering machine going off, followed by a very agitated Jake leaving a message. "Pez, it's Jake, again. God, are we gonna go through this every time I come pick you up for work. Get your behind down here in 10 minutes or else I'm leaving. Clock is ticking."  
  
Sara lifted her head and glared at her alarm clock. Maybe what she needed was a new alarm clock.  
  
END 


End file.
